Ferry Corsten is a living legend.
As one of the earliest trailblazers of trance, the Dutch producer and DJ has had a storied career riddled with more seminal tracks and industry accolades than we have space to list. Yet, he still refuses to rest on his laurels. Throughout his enviable 35-plus year run, Corsten has and continues to challenge himself at every turn - evolving his sound to embrace other genres such as electro, pop, and even hip-hop.
Now at 50 years of age, Corsten is, amazingly, just as creative and active as he was in the 1990s and 2000s. With several stunning releases this year, and in the midst of yet another whirlwind world tour - we caught up with the renowned figurehead of Trance Nation ahead of his upcoming set at MARQUEE Singapore to discuss his past, present and future.
HI Ferry! With so many years in the music industry under your belt, it’s wonderful that you're still as prolific and creative as ever. How do you still remain motivated all these years later?
The possibilities of electronic music are absolutely endless and keep evolving, and therefore I keep being fascinated to create new music and emotions out of existing and ever evolving ingredients. I’m like a kid in a candy store with an endless supply of candy that I haven’t tried yet.
If you could go back in time and meet the teenaged version of yourself, producing tracks in your bedroom, what piece of advice would you give him?
I would give my young producer-self the advice to start producing under my own name from the start, instead of creating dozens of alter egos. This is because after all these years, there are still people today finding out about those alter egos that it is me (laughs).
This year marks the 25th anniversary of your seminal classic ‘Out of the Blue’. What are your memories of crafting that track? And looking back, what did its breakout success mean to you?
The track is based on italo disco which was big during the 80’s here in the Netherlands. It was actually my poor attempt at making an italo record. Without consciously realizing it, it became one of the main tracks that put an, at that time, underground genre of trance on the world map for the general public.
You’re best known as a trance artist, but you’ve produced many tracks across a wide swath of genres. Do you feel anxious wherever you’re tackling a different genre, or is the challenge what excites you?
It’s a challenge that excites me! I’ve always experimented with different sounds and genres. Look at ‘Punk’. I made that track back in 2001 and it’s not trance, but it became one of my biggest hits. In general my fans know that I never stick to one sound and they actually appreciate me for it. It’s not just challenging myself, but also challenging them in broadening their musical horizons.
As someone who’s produced both in the analogue and digital age, how has the advent of technology changed your creative process?
The new technology of software made my life a lot easier in terms of saving my projects and sounds, and it opened up so many possibilities to be creative. Yet at the same time, it created a problem because with endless possibilities, when is a production really finished? Back in the analogue days, I produced more "in the moment" while nowadays a lot more decision making is involved. During the analogue era the limitations created opportunities, whereas today the limitless options bring more dilemmas.
Whether it's trance or other genres - do you notice the sounds from the 1990s or early-2000s coming back in style among the Gen Zs? Why do you think that is?
Of course, it’s hard not to notice! It’s great to see the old rave and trance sound coming back to a newer and younger crowd. Artists like Ben Hemsley, Superstrings, etc. are taking the stages by storm. I guess it’s a sort of a countermovement on the big hard techno hype that’s going on at the moment. You’ve got those fans, and you’ve got the people who don’t like it and crave for more melodious sounds. And it is exactly that which they can find in the old 90’s trance.
This has been a busy year for you, especially with new releases. From ‘Connect’ to ‘Just Breathe’ - what are the inspirations behind your 2024 output?
My main inspiration has been my own mindset. I’ve come to the realization that I should turn off all focus on what the current hype is and not try to give my own spin on that. I went back to creating the music I like and feel like making. That’s how I’ve always done it in the past and what made me be where I am today. I started following my own heart again and tuned out the rest.
You collaborated with Chris Howard, Marsh and Diandra Faye this year. What was it like working with these 3 artists in particular?
It was great to work with all three of them on separate projects. One thing they all have in common is that they’re super creative and talented and that just works really well in the studio.
I had worked with Chris already before on a track called 'Bloodstream' together with Ruben de Ronde, so we had a connection there. With Marsh it was funny to find out we’ve been fans of each other's sound for years and the combination of our styles turned out to be great. Diandra Faye slid in my DM on Instagram with a really cool topline and we immediately started working from there.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects that we should be on the lookout for?
Obviously my album Connect which is set to drop at the end of this year. I’m still focusing on finishing this project. But once that’s done, I’m definitely going to create a 2nd album under my FERR alter ego, which is my more ambient and neoclassical side.
Finally, what can fans expect at your upcoming set at MARQUEE Singapore?
I’m really excited to play an extended, 3-hour set as this gives me the opportunity to really dive in and take the audience on a musical journey. They can expect of course some of my classics, but also brand new, unreleased music from the upcoming album. I’m not going to spoil any more, so just come to the show and find out!
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MARQUEE presents Ferry Corsten takes place this Saturday, 31 August. Purchase tickets here.
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